Have you ever held back from following your gut feeling? Maybe because it didn’t quite make sense, or others told you it was strange? In today’s interview with Dr. Marcelle Forget, we learn how she came to hone her instincts in her healthcare practice, and trust not only her gut, but also the results she saw client to client. In standing up for alternative healthcare techniques and methodologies, she knew she could change her clients’ lives for the better – even if they thought it was weird.

In today’s interview, we explore what it means to stand up for what is right, to stand against the crowd with the power of our convictions. Marcelle is certainly familiar with doing that. She’s been a chiropractor for over thirty years – starting her career during a time when the practice was looked down upon by many. Now she has evolved her knowledge to hone the powerful tool of intuition as she masters fields such as craniosacral therapy, neuro emotional technique, genetic profile analysis and how the emotions impact not only the body but the environment around us. She’s one fascinating lady, and this is one fascinating conversation!

Marcelle, can you tell me about your business, Awakening Potentials, and how you’ve incorporated intuition as a key tool?

Awakening Potentials is a company that helps people be healthy and have a great life. When client come to me, I examine the weakness in their health system and try to find solutions to help them work better. What’s most important in doing this, is that I help draw a connection between the body and how it works within its bigger environment – we need to focus our energy into the environment around us as well as on our bodies to live well.

Intuition comes into my work in different ways. My husband, Dr. Tony Brunelle, and I use muscle testing and with that we can clue into when the energy of a body is strong or weak by asking different questions, or by having clients hold different things. After a while, I began to sense intuitively how their bodies would go weak or strong in response to different ideas.

I help draw a connection between the body and how it works within its bigger environment.

Everyone has this kind of intuition, but I’ve been actively working on mine for years. In other parts of my life I have intuition too, but I, at times, still don’t know exactly what isn’t right – I can’t quite put my finger on it. But in my practice with healthcare, I can narrow down quickly what isn’t working with my patients. It comes from a lot of practice and study.

But how do you know when your intuition is carrying you along the right track?

I know that I’m right; I have a deep sense of being right. At times I might have doubts – something feels unsettled within me as I work. So if I don’t have that certainly, I search the energy to find where I can feel more certain.

In relation to your practice at Awakening Potentials, what does standing up for what you think is right mean to you?

Even if we bring forward difficult concepts to our clients, I believe we need to keep bringing them forward, knowing they are going to help the world. For instance, when we began muscle testing, people thought it was strange. During the first few visits people were uncomfortable with the technique but I knew through experience, from seeing results client to client that were just incredible, that muscle testing was a worthwhile tool that should be used. Of course, new clients couldn’t be in the room for every visit so they were skeptical at first, but I was seeing change for so many; with muscle testing, we could resolve problems that weren’t being fixed.

During the first few visits people were uncomfortable with the technique but I knew through experience, from seeing results client to client that were just incredible, that muscle testing was a worthwhile tool.

Now there’s more research to explain it, but back then nothing. But I knew! I could see the results across patients, and it was making an impact. So just because one technique seemed a bit weird, my husband and I couldn’t stop, because we knew it gave our clients a chance to have a better life.

How do you champion your clients, and help guide them?

By making them realize they are unique. So, if you are unique, you bring a certain perspective and perception to this world. That understanding is needed in our world. If you don’t bring all your energy and potential in this life, then you choose how you contribute forward. As our clients realize this, they become empowered. Knowing your actions have impact is empowering. And you don’t need to be like someone else, you only need to worry about yourself.

I also help people realize they are born with a certain make up of strengths and weaknesses. By this I mean, your genes – genes store how you interpret life, how you react to challenges, all because of what they’ve encountered before. And if you think about it, genes have a rich history of learning and interacting as they are passed generation to generation.

You don’t need to be like someone else, you only need to worry about yourself.

In a way, it’s the ultimate level to be tackling for a person’s wellbeing. I really feel strongly in this area, and have been again studying quite a bit to hone my intuition here, and also, of course, the science.

Would you share a story of when you stood up for what you believed was right? How has this impacted your life thereafter and sense of self?

There was a time I asked someone who had brain cancer to come to my workshop [Marcelle holds a weekend workshop once a year]. I felt very strongly that it would be good for her. She was meant to have a procedure right before the workshop, and I advised that she postpone it till after, and she did. After the workshop she had the procedure – they were looking for the markings to do the surgery, and they couldn’t find the cancer. Somehow, I felt that it was important for her to be there and working on herself, and when I heard that news about the markings it was incredible. I still worry about her, but in that moment, by suggesting she postpone it slightly, I did what felt right in helping to guide her.

On one hand, someone might say I wanted to make money with my workshop, but I could feel 100% that this was important. So that turned out very well, and it was empowering for her and in my life.

Who is your favorite fictional character in books, movies, etc.? How do you relate to that character and how does it play out as a metaphor in your life?

When I was little, I really liked the idea of what Jesus did on this earth. For instance, helping of others and laying on hands to heal people. The energy he brought. I was young, but I think those stories influenced me. Not the religious aspects, but talking to crowds and changing people’s life for the better, and laying on hands. And also the beliefs. His conviction to bring forward what he thought was right in his world. It left an impression on me, whether or not it is all true.

We all contribute to this big picture of energy.

In a spiritual sense, what is bigger than you that you are part of? How do you contribute to it and how does that make our world a better place to live in?

I think in a way, we’re all part of very big energy. I don’t think it’s bigger than me, because it is part of who I am – I don’t want to think about it as something different, or another entity. We all contribute to this big picture of energy, so I try to make life beautiful and better for myself and those through my life. Every moment of your life, you imprint upon others, and this is something that will live forever – the imprint will live forever and so your energy never dies.

Can you give a piece of advice to our readers from your own unique experience?

Learn to know within you what feels congruent and not worry what others think. And work on removing toxic beliefs and perceptions, because those will restrict your perception of the world. For example, when you think you can’t do something, ask yourself: how come I think that? What kind of restrictive perception about myself or my world is stopping me?

One of the most important things to do in this life, is to develop our awareness.

One of the most important things to do in this life, is to develop our awareness. The more you do this, the more you will know what makes you strong and weak. From this, you learn techniques to make yourself strong, no matter what is in front of you.

Many thanks to Marcelle for her candid responses in this conversation! As a Doctor of Chiropractic, Marcelle is co-owner of Ottawa’s Kanata Chiropractic Centre, as well as Awakening Potentials Inc. She’s also an expert on craniosacral therapy, neuro emotional technique, supplementation, methylation, genetic profile analysis, and emotional impact on wellbeing. Her work with Awakening Potentials incorporates a patient’s emotional history in understanding their current state of health and success. She’s also founder of the 3-day Wake Up Weekend, which is now in its tenth year.

Have you ever stood up for what felt right in your profession? Share your stories with us. We love to feature brilliant women doing what feels right and following their intuition.